Breaking 80 in 99 Days...

[Kieran123]

Golf is an obsessive and very hard sport to get good at quick.

Don't be disappointed if you don't break 90, let alone 80. Breaking 90 would be quite the feat anyway.

[ERdiesel]

Agree with others regarding unrealistic goals.  A realistic one might be to break 100 in that time period.  Considering that you will need to shave off 30+ strokes in 3+ months, that in itself would be quite an accomplishment and one that is not only somewhat realistic but one that you can be proud of.  Additionally, as others have mentioned, and from personal experience, playing rounds that frequently will not only take a toll on you physically, but mentally as well, especially when the results don't coincide with the lofty expectations that you have preset for yourself.

With all that said, if you really are scoring in the 130's right now, any money that you have budgeted for greens fees would be much better spent on professional lessons.  Seriously.

[darkhunter139]

If you are only playing one round a day and not practicing on the putting green/ driving range I would think your chances of even breaking 90 are slim.   If you were to put in a ton of practice and a few rounds a week I think you would achieve much better results.  Spending 4+ hours a day playing 18 is not going to help you improve near as much.

[BostonSully]

I agree with most here. To break 80 your putting needs to be wayyyy better. But for that to matter you need to be getting GIR and FIR #'s much higher. Then for that to matter you also need distance on the FIR shots.

Also playing 18 every single day would get really really boring IMO. I find that my best rounds come when I dont actually play a round for a week or so but spend alot of time at the range and practice greens. The feeling of complacency that you get from playing everyday will be one of your biggest enemies on this voyage.

Good luck though.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by delav

Great post above, but the math is a little bit fuzzy here.

Hahahahahaaaaa yes ...... 45 shots plus 34 putts ......... he can forget it !!!!

[jamo]

Originally Posted by delav

Great post above, but the math is a little bit fuzzy here.

So to do it, the OP has to be able to fudge the math a little.

[B-Con]

How can you work on and fix swing flaws by only hitting the relevant club a few times? If you take 110 strokes, probably about 40 are putts, 15 are drives, so that only leaves you with 55 strokes to work on all the rest of your clubs. I'd say play 2-3 times a week and hit the range every day.

[billk86]

Originally Posted by johnclayton1982

2.  Bought a striking bag

This was pretty important.  i practice driving in my living room and checking to see if I hit hard and what my impact position is.  It is very effective and training you to hit square with your driver.  My driver goes pretty straight now.

Great post by johnclayton1982.  Very helpful.  Can you elaborate more on Number 2?  Is this the same as a Smash Bag?

[WesTyler]

Very solid advice, guys. 18 holes every day is no longer the priority. I'll play a couple rounds a week and practice all the other days. Thank you for the input.

And, at the risk of taking the romance out of this whole experiment, I want to elaborate on why I think breaking 80 is possible in 99 days:

• My goal is to break 80 in 99 days. Just once. On my home course. Not to be able to shoot it consistently. Not to be able to break it on other courses. Just to shoot one, dumb, lucky fluke sometime in the next three months.
• I work at my home course (Pebblebrook), and my uncle owns it. This means that there are no green fees, range fees or cart fees.
• Pebblebrook is a very short course. It's a par 68, and, clocking in at 4574 yards from the tips, my home course is about a mile and a half shorter than your average 7200 yard championship links. Its length, combined with narrow fairways, effectively means I won't have to learn the driver.
• Pebblebrook gets relatively little business. This means the course is generally wide open. Even shooting 134, which, as a previous poster pointed out, is not a quick round, I was never rushed. And this, combined with privileges from being nephew of the owner, means that I have the virtually unheard-of liberty of working on problem holes or lies as often as I need.
• I have access to three PGA teaching pros. One played in the US Open, another won the PGA Professional National Championship (not to be confused with the major), and the third has been teaching for some 30 years.
• If I suggest something stupid, you guys will be quick to correct me. Playing 18 holes a day? Not the best way to go about it. Thanks, guys

• tl;dr: Will I make it? Hell, I don't know. But if I have to fail a goal, it may as well be an outlandish one.

Day 2 update: Practicing irons

For the past eight years I've been sporting a set of Verdict Super Metal irons. There's a reason you've never heard of them; they're from a Wal-Mart clearance rack.

I waffled about it for a couple weeks, but today I finally upgraded to some Taylormade Burner Plus irons.

After a quick change of underwear, I went to the driving range... and promptly pulled a muscle in my back...

The irons went back in the bag, accompanied by some horribly colorful language.

Guess I'll be practicing putting the next few days...

[jamo]

It seems you have the right attitude. I still have my doubts about whether or not you can do it but, hey, by all means prove me wrong.

[Yukari]

Originally Posted by WesTyler

...

For the past eight years I've been sporting a set of Verdict Super Metal irons. There's a reason you've never heard of them; they're from a Wal-Mart clearance rack.

...

Wait, so you've playing on-and-off for eight years?  I assume not taking it seriously, but nonethless you have been playing for eight years?

[TaylerHughes]

Visualize the dream...achieve the goal.

You might not break 80 but with that kind of dedication your going to end up with something worth while from the experience!

Good Luck!

[jshots]

Originally Posted by iacas

Good luck.

I think you have a better chance if you play once for every three days you practice, rather than playing every day, but maybe that's just me...

What I was going to say

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by TaylerHughes

Visualize the dream...achieve the goal.

You might not break 80 but with that kind of dedication your going to end up with something worth while from the experience!

Good Luck!

See yourself shooting in the 70s (or lower!!) then get out there and just be awesome!!!!!

[DocWu1948]

Originally Posted by WesTyler

Pebblebrook gets relatively little business.

I have access to three PGA teaching pros. .

I guess the Pro's must work somewhere else?  Anyway, maybe this stunt could draw in some customers for them and Uncle Pebble! I think your plan is feasible if you get the iron swing down, a good putting stroke,  and you stay out of the bunkers. Probably far easier than an amateur breaking a hundred on a US Open course.

P.s. Probably swinging too hard if you pulled a muscle.

[delav]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

See yourself shooting in the 70s (or lower!!) then get out there and just be awesome!!!!!

Man... so this is why I shot an 81 last night.  If only the last 15 years of playing and practice weren't wasted with incorrect intentions!

[ERdiesel]

Originally Posted by WesTyler

After a quick change of underwear, I went to the driving range... and promptly pulled a muscle in my back...

TMI?  :)

[WesTyler]

Day 3 update: Approaches and Putting

My back was still a little stiff today, so I made friends with my new approach iron. I grabbed a large bucket and shot at the 75 yard flag on the range. Then I went out on to the course, dropped a ball at 75 yards from the pin on all 18 holes, and recorded my shots to get on the green and my putts:

• I averaged 1.94 shots to get on the green
• I averaged 2.11 putts on the green
• For a total average of 4.05 shots to sink the ball from 75 yards

Yikes. I need to get that last number much closer to 3.

There is one hole with an uphill climb to the left guarded by a bunker. It took me 4 shots to get on the green because I landed in the sand. Then overshot the green. Then landed in the sand. Again. I followed it up with a three-putt.

The highlight of the day was on the very next hole when I brutally topped the ball and it burned worms all the way up the hill to the green. Fearing the worst as I climbed, I discovered the ball stopped less than a foot from the hole. 1 to get on, 1 putt. My only such hole of the day.

My biggest issue is that I keep skulling the ball. I need to learn to get under it better. Of course, I may need to get my clubs extended, since I'm using standard length while standing at 6' 2"... more than one person has commented that they're too short.

Stay classy, Sandtrappers.